Locomotive-brake



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR E. DETRO, OF MAUCH CHUNK, PENNSYLVANIA.

LOCOMOTIVE-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 506,104, dated October 3, 1893.

Application filed July 19, 1893. Serial No. 480.906. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Y

'13e it known that I, ARTHUR E. DETRO, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manch Chunk, in the county of Carbon and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive-Brakes, of which the following is a specification;

My invention relates to improvements in locomotive brakes and its object is to provide brakes and brake operating devices which .w1llvbe-simple and strong, and very effective 1n operation.

The invention will be more fully described in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure l is a side elevation of part of the frame of the locomotive, showing the brake mechanism, part of the nearer side of the frame being broken away to show the farther side. Fig. 2 is a plan of a portion of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a plan view of apart of a locomotive and tender, showing the brakes of both operated by a single cylinder. Fig. 4 is a plan view of part of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an end View of one of the rock shafts showing the brakehead and shoe and the rocker arm. Fig. 6 is a central sectional view through the brakehead and brake block. Fig. 7 is a side view of one of the rock shafts showing one form of connection between the iloating lever and the rocker arm, andvFig. 8 is a similar view showing another form of connection.

In the forms of locomotive brakes commonly used the brake-heads are loosely connected to the frame and to the equalizing levers and power is communicated to them in such a manner that they are not pressed evenly and squarely against the wheels, and for this reason they wear unevenly and are liable to break. In the present invention the brakeheads are connected rigidly toV rock-shafts which are journaled in bearings connected to the frames of the locomotive.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the frames of the locomotive, and B the driving wheels, which are shown in dotted lines. A series of rock-shafts D are journaled in bearings d which are connected in any suitable manner to the frames. Upon the inner ends of the rock-shafts are fastened rocker-arms E, and the equalizing or floating levers F are connected to pins e upon the outer or free ends of the rocker arms. In Fig. 7 is shown a single rocker-arm with the floating lever arranged at one side of it, and in Fig. Sis shown a double rocker-arm with two partse, e2, upon the same hub and having the floating lever F located between them. The latter form is preferred for the reasons that it is stronger and relieves the iloating lever and its connections of all torsional or twisting strains.

In Figs. l and 2 a separate power cylinder G is shown to operate the brakes on each side of the locomotive. With this arrangement a third cylinder is used to operate the tank brakes; but farther on I will describe the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in vwhich all of the locomotive and tank brakes are operated from a single cylinder.

In Figs. l and 2 the piston rods g are connected to the longer arms g of main rockshafts g2 and upon said shafts are shorter arms g3 which are connected to the floating levers by series of connecting rods h, h', (Irc.A The third floating lever is connected to the last rock-arm E directly by a conneotingrod h3. TheA points of lconnection between the rods h, h', dac., and the loating levers are arranged in the usual manner so as to equalize the pressure of the brakes upon the wheels. It will be noted that the rocks-shafts are horizontal and that the lever g `and the floating levers are vertical. I prefer to provide each of the connecting links h, h', 85o., with an adjusting device such as the'right and left threaded nut or turn buckle h4.

In Figs. 3 and 4. there is shown a single power cylinder I the piston of which is connected to an arm t' upon a main rock-shaft i which extends across and has bearings in bot-h frames. The rods h are connected to shorter arms i2 located inside of the frames, and the tank brakes are connected to an 'intermediate arm t3 by means of a rod or other connection 4. of the brakes upon the engine and tender are operated from the single cylinder. A single turnbuckle ou the rod h next the power cylinder may be used for adjustment. I prefer however to use an adjusting device upon each of the connecting rods in order to keep the several iloating levers in their most effective positions.

It will thus be seen that all IOO In Figs. 3 and 4 .I indicates the Wheels of the tender and K indicates the brakebeams. The brake apparatus upon the tender may be of ordinary suitable construction.

Upon the outer end ot' each of the rockshafts D is rigidly fastened a brake-head L which is in the form of a tapered arm having a semi-circular hub Z, a shoulder Z and aface Z2. A brakeblock M in the form of a casing or shell fits over the brake-head its upper end m being rounded and fittingloosely upon the hub Z, thus permitting the brake-block to adjust itself upon the brake-head. The front wall m of the brake-block is curved to conform to the curvature of the wheel and the brake-shoe N, and the face Z2 of the brakehead is curved or bent away in the opposite direction at Z3 about opposite the middle of the brake-shoe, thus forming a fulcrurn upon which the brake-block and shoe rest which permits the shoe to adjust itself accurately to the wheel. rlhe shoe N is formed in the usual manner with a hook a and a toe fn', and it is connected to the brake block by means of a bolt o which is counter sunk in the shoe and extends through the brakeblock. This bolt is retained in position by a key or other suitable fastening 0'. On the face of the brake block a hole is cored out to form a recess 19 for a spring p', the object of the spring being to prevent the shoe from rattling and to press out its lower end and hold it closer to the wheel when the brake is not 1n operation. This improves the appearance of the brake without impairing its eifrciency. Upon the rear of the hub of the brakehead a cavity r is cored out to hold a spring fr which presses the brake-block outward. The effect of this spring is also to prevent rattling, to hold the face of the brake-block against the face of the brake-head, and to hold the upper end of the shoe away from the wheel, thus aiding the spring p to hold the brake-shoe parallel with the wheel tread when the shoe is olf the wheel. As before stated the brake-block fits loosely upon the brake-head. To prevent it from coming off a screw or bolt s passes through the slot s in the brake-block and is firmly fixed in the brake-head. To remove the brake-block it is only necessary to take out the screw s and lift the block upward off of the brake-head.

Various changes in mechanical details may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit thereof and therefore I do not wish to limit myself to the precise construction and arrangement shown and described. Instead of using the rock-shafts upon all of the wheels I may, if desirable, use a brake beam for the wheels next the cylinder inasmuch as there is usually room at this point for a beam.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a locomotive brake, the combination with the locomotive frames, of a series of rockshafts mounted in bearings on the frames, brake-heads rigidly connected to the outer ends of the rock-shafts,rocker-arms upon the inner ends of the rock-shafts, and equalizing levers connected to the free ends of the rocker arms, substantially as described.

2. In a locomotive brake, the combination with the locomotive frames, of a series of rockshafts mounted in bearings on the frames, brake-heads rigidly connected to the outer ends of the rock-shafts, brake-blocks loosely mounted upon the brakeheads, shoes connected to the brake-blocks, rocker-arms upon the inner ends of the rock-shafts and means of applying power to the free ends of the rocker-arms, substantially as described.

3. In a locomotive brake, the combination with the locomotive frames, of bearings upon said frames adjacent to the wheels, horizontal rock-shafts mounted in said bearings and each having a brake-head at its outer end and a rocker-arm at its inner end, vertically arranged equalizing levers connected to the free ends of the rocker arms, a main rockshaft extending across the locomotive and having two arms connected respectively to the equalizing levers on each side of the locomotive, and means for operating said main rock-shaft, substantially as described.

4. In a locomotive brake, the combination with t-he locomotive frames, of a series of rockshafts mounted in bea-rings on the frames, brake-heads upon the outer ends of the rockshafts, rocker-arms upon the inner ends7 equalizing levers connected to the free ends of the rocker-arms, a main rock-shaft or shafts for applying power to the equalizing levers, and adjustable connections between the equalizing levers, substantially as described.

5. In a locomotive brake, the combination with the locomotive frames, of the rock-shafts mounted in bearings on said frames, the brake-heads rigidly connected to the rockshafts, the brake-blocks loosely mounted on the brake-heads and the spring for drawing the upper end of the brake-block awa-y from the wheel and holding it against the brakehead to prevent rattling, substantially as described.

6. In a locomotive brake, the combination with the rock-shaft having a brake-head rigidly connected thereto, of a brakeblock mounted upon the brake-head, a brake-shoe connected to the brake-block, and a spring interposed between the brake-block and the lower end of the shoe, substantially as described.

7. In a locomotive brake, the combination with the rock-shaft, and the brake-head rigidly connected thereto consisting of an arm and a semi-circular hub, of a brake-block consisting of a casing fitting over said arm and having a circular upper portion which tits loosely and adjustably upon said hub, substanti all y as described.

8. In a locomotive brake, the combination with a rock-shaft mounted in a bearing upon IOO IIO

the frame, of a brake-head,"a brake-block ttingover the brake-head and a brake-shoe upon the block, the brake-head having a fulcrum point upon its face opposite the middle of the brake-shoe, whereby the pressure of the various parts of the brake-shoe upon the y wheel is equalized` substantially as described.

9; In a locomotive brake, the combination with the locomotive frames and with a tender,

of suitable brakes upon the locomotive andthe tender, a main rock-shaft extending across the locomotive and having bearings on the Y presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR E. DETRO. Witnesses:

ROBERT C. PARKER, C. S. DETRo. 

